Rainy Days, Stormy Nights
by ImagiTheNation
Summary: Renee has always been different. She reads too much, climbs trees in the middle of the night, and sees... things. But that isn't much against a new threat. Pitch Black has recruited a team of villains including the Monster in the Closet, Hugging Molly, etc. When Renee and some friends become spirits, she'll need all of her hope, love, and courage to win the fight. Mostly OC-centric
1. Prologue

**I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of it's characters... however I do own all of my OC's... basically every other character that is NOT mentioned in the movie or the books. Thanks a ton for reading this. Enjoy!**

**Prologue**

The still night was dark and forbidding. It was late and no one was awake. A windstorm brewed on the horizon, with occasional flashes of lightning dancing through the thick mass of black clouds.

One such flash lit up a small, deserted street corner. On this corner stood a tall, dark figure. His presence radiated Fear strong enough to claw its way to a man's heart and stop it in an instant.

He shifted his weight and started tapping his foot. He was waiting

Suddenly out of the darkness came seven other figures, all varying in size, shape, and movement. Some walked, some slithered, and some glided.

"About time!" He said in an annoyed growl, "I've been waiting for almost an hour!"

"Vell, eets not _my _fault, Pitch!" A small, extremely furry gremlin, with large, bat-like ears, sharp claws, and a German accent, whined, "Gulpugh stopped in Berlin to devour a veinerschnitzel cart, and _I_ had to vait for heem!"

Pitch just glared.

"It was very good, too…" A large, revolting, slimy creature with three eyes, thousands of tiny, sharp, yellow teeth, and a French accent, slithered up to the conversation.

Pitch examined Gulpugh for a moment… the slimy, yellow-green fat rolls under his neck, the bulging stomach, the short, wet claws protruding from his chubby, greedy fingers, and the sickly yellow rims around his black empty iris's all added to the grossness.

"You disgust me." Pitch sneered dryly.

"Why, thank you!" the large blob exclaimed, jollily.

Pitch rolled his eyes and then turned to the rest of the group, which had come, at least partly, out of the deep shadows that surrounded the street corner.

"Thank you all for coming, good to see you, blah blah blah- Now let's get to business… Some of you don't know each other, so we'll quickly do introductions; I'm Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, most commonly known as the Boogeyman… my element: FEAR."

The short furry gremlin was next.

"Hallo, Ich heisse MITCH. Ich bin der verruckt Kobold-"

" _English_ please!" Pitch interrupted.

MITCH (for that was his name) grumbled.

"Hello, my name is MITCH, Which stands for **M**onster **I**n **T**he **C**loset with an '**H**' on the end-"

"Why is there an H on the end?" a grumpy, hag-of-a-black-woman with a southern accent interjected.

MITCH, now extremely annoyed, snapped back, "Because my name would be too silly as MITC! It doesn't roll off of the tongue like MITCH! Now please no more interruptions! My element is ANGER!"

"Ironic, is it not." A tall figure hissed. He had no face, many octopus-like arms, and wore a tuxedo. "My name is Slenderman and my element is CHAOS."

"_Everybody_ knows who _you_ are these days!" the hag snarled, "You're lucky that your legend is back out amongst the younguns! _Nobody's_ heard of_ Huggin Molly_."

"If no one has ever heard of you, why don't you introduce yourself." MITCH suggested with a sarcastic tone.

Huggin Molly growled at him, then spoke with gritted teeth, "My name is Huggin Molly. I used to love children, but I never had any so I grew bitter and jealous. Now, as a spirit, I can turn myself into a ravishing doll of a woman, and mesmerize all the children into coming to me. Then I wrap my arms around them over and over again and squeeze them to death… or at least I used to be able to. Now almost no one believes in me. Only the few watchers can see me, but I can never get close enough… Oh and my element is JEALOUSY."

" Soooooo… why do _I_ never see you as a '_ravishing doll_'?" MITCH teased.

"BECAUSE YOU NEVER SEE ME, UNLESS YOU'RE MOCKING ME!" she screeched.

"That's _enough_!" Pitch snarled, "I have NOT brought us here to quarrel! Now… who's next?"

"I zink dat would be muah." Gulpugh suggested.

"Very well…" Pitch said, rolling his eyes again.

"My name is Gulpugh, I am distantly related to Jabba the Hutt and Bob the indestructible gelatinous man, and my element is GREED."

"_Thank_ you, Gulpugh, now..." Pitch trailed off as a raspy voice like nails on a chalkboard, poisonous snakes hissing, and parched bones grating against each other, all in one, then spoke.

"Might I interrupt, but we are losing time…"

Pitch glared for a moment, "Well _Choker_, why don't _you_ introduce yourself?" he spoke coolly.

"My pleasure," the voice hissed.

This horrendous voice belonged to a gruesome figure not unlike most people's ideas of the Grim Reaper. He was a tall mottled skeleton with a long dark robe that featured a deep shadowed hood to hide his empty eyes and grinning teeth. But the most terrible thing about his appearance was the skeletal hand that protruded from his neck, right where his Adam's apple should have been.

"Hello, My name is Choker. I was created through one of Pitch's Nightmares to a young girl, but was weakened by the twisting of the Nightmare into a Dream… My element is DESPAIR."

Hugging Molly shivered.

A throaty snort broke the short silence, as another terrible figure stepped forward.

"I am Karothkar the Corvuscorvialynca, and my element is DESTRUCTION."

The speaker was nothing like the others except for the dark aura that surrounded them all. He had the head of a raven, but with a slightly sharper, more angular beak, and had two spiraling antelope horns protruding from the back of his skull, suggesting a demonic feel. He had the torso and arms of a man, yet the rippling muscles were coated with a thin layer of ebony colored raven's feathers. His hands were like unto raven's talons and sported long, curved, obsidian-like claws. His legs were similar to raven's, but bore a resemblance to a prehistoric raptor's, with strong muscles and cable-like tendons. Again his feet resembled raven's talons. Then, protruding from his back, around the shoulder blades, was a massive pair of threatening, blue-black raven's wings.

"I, too, was created from a Nightmare."

"What's a Corvycorvylinka?" MITCH said obnoxiously.

Suddenly the last figure stepped out from the shadows and spoke. "It means a raven man… Bit obvious, don't you think?" It said coolly. The voice was female.

"Oo're you?" Hugging Molly grunted skeptically.

"I am Mother Nature…"

The group went silent for a moment. All of them, except Pitch, looked around at each other then suddenly burst out into a cacophony of horrible laughter.

"Hee hee hee, Mother Nature! That's just great!" Molly squealed as she held her stomach and wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "You're not one of us!" She said again, cooling down and now speaking in a dark tone, "You don't belong here…"

"And what makes you say that?" Mother Nature said, a dangerous edge in her voice.

"Well… you're… _you_." Hugging Molly said, slightly at loss for words.

Mother Nature raised an eyebrow.

"People _love_ you!" They've got wildlife reservations and eco campaigns, _everywhere_!"

"Not to mention the fact that children frolic and thrive in your forests and gardens." Slenderman interjected quietly.

"You have no place here, you flowery baboon-of-a-" MITCH's sentence was cut off sharply as a strong, dark green, curling vine broke out of the parched ground beside him and slithered around him and over his mouth, binding him in a vice-like grip.

The other monsters, except Pitch, soon found themselves in a similar predicament; vines constraining them like large, dark anacondas.

Mother Nature prowled up to them and got straight up in their faces.

"I would think twice about insulting me…" she hissed directly in MITCH's face. She then whipped around, causing her long ebony-colored hair to slap MITCH right across his furry cheek. She then turned to Hugging Molly.

"You want to know something?" She said to Molly, her voice rising. "You're right, I _don't _belong here."

"So why are you even here?!" Hugging Molly said roughly. She then spat on the ground in front of Mother Nature.

Mother Nature's face darkened further.

"You know what?!" She screamed, "The only reason I am here, is because of him!" She pointed back at Pitch, who was casually leaning against a beat up mailbox, then continued her raving.

"And I'm sick and tired of the puny inhabitants of this Earth! You know what they actually do for me? NOTHING! In fact, the only thing they've done for me is pollute! Pollute! Pollute! They pretend that they're doing _so_ much good for me, but they just go on and on and on in their little political eco campaigns about preserving me and all. They don't _do_ anything for me, in fact, they're KILLING ME! It's better that they live in the shadow of Fear!"

By now all of the bound monsters were shaking.

Mother Nature pointed back at Pitch. "I guess _he's_ the only one who understands. He knows that if those puny humans were full of fear, they would actually leave me alone! _He _understands me! _He_ agrees with me! And _he_ protects me!..."

She paused for a moment and took a calming breath.

"... after all, isn't that what fathers do?"

* * *

The group stared at her in silent shock, all with eyes wide. Hugging Molly slowly turned her head towards Pitch.

"You have a _daughter_?!" she screeched in disbelief.

"Yes…" he said slowly, "Does that surprise to you?" He grinned coldly.

Hugging Molly blinked then spoke hurriedly, "No. I mean yes! I mean… Yes, it does. You don't really seem the daddy type…"

"Really… I'm surprised you see me that way…" His eyes glinted with a cruel amusement.

Hugging Molly saw that and looked away angrily.

Pitch let out a nerve-racking laugh and then spoke. "Emily Jane, you may release them. We all have much to talk about."

"Don't call me Emily Jane…" Mother Nature said darkly.

"Whatever…"

The vines binding the monsters suddenly shriveled up, turning black and allowing the group to brush them off.

"Why _did_ you bring us here?" Karothkar questioned.

"I'm going to asume that we're all tired of the Guardians of Childhood defeating us over and over again…"

They all nodded, anger and resentment in their eyes.

"After a long time contemplating it, I realized that they have only one thing that we don't… teamwork."

Everyone started to speak at once, but Pitch raised his hand, silencing the chatter.

"They have a team, we do not. They are winning, we are not…"

"They have strength in numbers." Choker said, adding to what Pitch was saying.

"Precisely."

"So, you gathered us here to create a team?..." MITCH said skeptically.

"Yes. Alone we'll just keep getting defeated. But together…" he paused, "We'll be invincible…"


	2. I Fall Out of a Tree

Rainy Days, Stormy Nights

Wash the world, set to right

Cleansing streets, set apart

Rainy Days cleanse the heart...

* * *

**The point of view will change to different characters throughout the story. Sometimes to third person. For now it is Renee's _PoV._**

* * *

_"**I fall 25 feet out of a tree and manage to not break every single bone in my body."**_

Well my day started out normal. Or at least as normal as it can get when you're the oldest (age fourteen and proud) in a family of six kids, all of us which are adopted.

It was the last day before Christmas break and everyone was anxious. As normal as I had woken up, gotten ready, and headed to school. Now, I was in the high school's library chatting with my friends and showing them my latest sketches.

"Hey Renee!" my best friend Madi Smith ran up to me, fashionably late to our little meeting, as always, "Did you see the newest episode of of Once upon a Time?!"

"No why?"

"It's the one that Rachel wrote when she was thirteen! You know the one with Goldilocks!"

I stared in giddy shock. "Wait, wait, you mean to tell me that they accepted her idea?!"

Madi nodded excitedly.

"Eeeeeeee!" we both squealed giddily and jumped up and down in a way that only teenage girls can do.

Suddenly the bell rang.

We all gathered up our belongings and headed our separate ways, quickly saying our goodbyes

"Love yo guts with both my hearts!"

I called after Madi as she waved and ran off in the direction of her first class.

" Bye Malynne." I hugged my other friend (who, I must say, was at least a foot and a half taller than me), and then I sprinted towards the art room (my first class).

The rest of the day ticked by slowly as I went through some other classes, lunch (at JCW's), more classes, and then finally stepping out of my history class.

I sighed contentedly and smiled._ Free from the stress of school until the new year has begun,_ I thought happily.

Suddenly my cellphone buzzed. I looked at the text that Madi had sent me:

Madi says: Hey grl! Min & i r going 2 the park, want 2 come? There will B trees... ;)

I text her back excitedly.

Me: Of course! Let me just txt my mom real quick!... I 3 trees... :)

I did as I said and then ran to our after-school meeting place in the commons.

"Hi Min! Hi Madi!" I said as I walked up to them (Min was Malynne's nickname). Malynne's boyfriend Teryck was with them too, seeing as he always walked home with us.

"Hi Teryck!" I added, not wanting to exclude him. "You coming to the park with us?"

"Yep, don't have anything else to do."

"Cool!" I turned to Malynne and Madi. "Are we going to go or just keep standing here, waiting for the secretary to kick us out?"

They both laughed and Malynne spoke, "We'll go."

Teryck grabbed his backpack off a bench and we all headed outside. We walked along the bush-lined path and in the direction of my favorite park in the world: Burgess's most famous (but not really, seeing as Burgess is a small… nobody town) Craven Glen Park (and Pond). Most kids just called it the Hollow.

The Hollow was like a child's dream come true (mine too). The Park was all located on a 40 acre piece of land just north of Burgess High School. It was entirely criss crossed by thousands of winding running, biking, and horse trails. About a quarter of the land was taken up by a massive, snow-covered, rolling field of grass.

Solitary trees dotted the field every here and there, sometimes in clusters. At the north end of the meadow a small frozen lake (or large pond if you prefer) sported waving cattails and a small, closed, boating dock. Ducks and geese were everywhere, especially near the lake.

Then (my favorite part if you haven't guessed), over to the west and some to the north, the rest of the land was covered by a gigantic forest. Little clearings broke the continuous sea of trees. All sorts of trees too. Pine, Sycamore, Elk, and even European Split-leaf Weeping White Birch (I _love_ to say that).

Also, winding through the forest, across the meadow, and into the lake was a sparkling, icy, crystal-clear creek trickling over various colored pebbles and rocks, and tumbling over multiple mini waterfalls and rapids.

I sighed again as a warm, moist breeze wafted across my face, reducing the Frostnip feeling for a moment.

"You comin'?" Madi called.

I snapped out of my trance to find the group far ahead of me.

"Wait for me!" I yelled back, sprinting down the hill to catch up. "Gosh child! Snap me out of it _before_ you start walking away!" I said to Madi.

"You were the only one that stopped walking!" She giggled. "You know, if you keep zoning out like that, people are gonna think you're… well-" she twirled her finger at her head (the classic indication of crazy).

I laughed, "Madi, you know just as well as I do that I could say the exact same for you!"

Malynne and Teryck were waiting for us at one of the openings into the forest where a running trail cut through the foliage.

We were all headed to our favorite spot in the forest. In the farthest northwest corner, right where the park gave way to a small neighborhood, there was a small pond surrounded by trees. For some reason it was always the first pond to freeze in the fall and the last to melt in the late spring. Then, during even the hottest summer days, the water was still frigid.

It was Malynne's favorite spot because, no matter the temperature, during the summer, she swam in it. I swear, she discovered half the aquatic life at the bottom of that puddle.

It was Teryck's favorite place because 1) the skate park was just a block away, and 2) The waffle truck liked to park on the corner.

It was Madi's favorite place because there were large, perfectly situated boulders right next to the pond, where she could sit and draw (with hints from me).

It was my favorite spot because of the huge, gnarled oak tree that hung partly over the pond and partly over Madi's boulders. I loved to climb up in the twisting branches and dangle (upside-down sometimes) over Madi, lending her tips here and there… and also there… and here… and there too. (Maybe I should just come out honestly and say that Madi's drawings were _possibly_ primitive compared to mine…)

Of course, we had to walk about 2 miles to get there, so we all talked and admired the beautiful frost on the trees and the icicles hanging from the snow covered branches on the way.

Finally, after walking for about a half an hour, we arrived at the pond. I headed straight for the tree, hanging my backpack on a nearby branch. I climbed up onto the slippery branches near the top. The branches rustled slightly as a small breeze pushed by, again.

"Hey Renee! Come back down for a minute!" Malynne called up to me.

"Kay! One sec!" I called back. I took one last look at the surroundings and then scrambled back down to the group.

"Alright! I thought that maybe we could change things up for a little bit for today!" Madi rubbed her hands together enthusiastically.

"How?" Malynne questioned skeptically.

"Hide and Seek!" Madi exclaimed.

* * *

"1… 2… 3…-"

Teryck was counting. We had all decided on that after he dropped the waffle that he'd bought for Malynne (while Madi was setting the boundaries) into the pond, on accident.

We all had scattered as soon as he had said "1," and we were spreading out to find a good place to hide. I jogged along keeping an eye out for a good bush or pile of rocks. I saw some boulders that looked worthy and scurried to hide. But no sooner had I stepped behind them, Madi pushed me away.

"Sorry Girlie." She whispered, "Go find your own spot. It's a big park."

"Fine…" I grumbled, then kept jogging further into the forest.

Suddenly I slipped on a small patch of ice and started sliding down a hill. I refrained from screaming several times, after bouncing off of a couple of rocks and getting slapped by a not-so-conveniently placed branch.

My ride stopped as suddenly as it started when I finally slid out into a small clearing. I grimaced as I stood, rubbing my aching backside. I looked around, then just about wet my skinny jeans with sheer delight.

There in front of me was the largest, twistiest, most gorgeous weeping willow tree I had ever seen. It was so tall that I wondered how I had ever missed it before. Yet strangely enough, the first few branches were only about six feet above the ground.

Then suddenly it clicked.

"Duh! Gosh, what was I thinking?" I thought aloud. I ran up to the tree and started climbing. No one would find me in _that_ maze of gnarly branches!

As I pulled myself up through the them, a cold wind overtook the the warm breeze I had been feeling before. I was a little surprised by the suddenness of it, but then got over it, seeing as it was actually an extremely comfortable feeling. I got about four fifths of the way up the tree when I decided to stop going up and start going out. Holding onto two branches at my sides, I walked out to a comfortable-looking branch. I carefully sat down, putting my feet on a branch below me and holding onto one above my head. I looked down to see that there were only a few widely spaced limbs below me. I could tell that if I fell, I would be in the hospital for a month. Luckily, I _never_ fell while climbing a tree (or anything for that matter). _EVER. _I glanced around, waiting for something to happen. About fifteen minutes passed before I was bored. So I started singing.

"_I stand up without you, I fall down,_

_We dance on the clouds and I soar._

_I wish I could say, "I don't need you"_

_But that'd be lyin' and closing a door.-"_

The song was one of my favorites by Someone, a talented, but not well known band, that often got people confused by the name. My second favorite song by them was _That One Song_. I started on the second part of the chorus:

"_You're eyes shine like-" _

"Cool song…" a voice behind me said abruptly.

I squealed in surprised and whipped around to try and see who it was, and how they had found me. But I had made a serious mistake in doing so. I lost my balance and could feel myself falling off the branch. The boy that had spoke jumped over to my branch with surprise and concern to help me, but only succeeded in bouncing it more, shaking me off. I tried to catch myself by grabbing another branch, but it was covered in ice and my hand slipped. I felt gravity pulling me down and I screamed as I fell from a tree for the first time in my life.

Suddenly the wind picked up like crazy and I could feel it lifting me upward, my arms and legs flailing. Then I felt gravity pulling me down again. The boy had somehow gotten to the ground before me, and stood on top of a small snow mound. As I plummeted towards the ground I saw the boy take a stance, getting ready to, what it looked like, _catch_ me. But he suddenly stopped, looking confused. WHAM! I crashed down on top of him. I saw white and blue in a kaleidoscope of sunlight as we both tumbled down the slope in a giant snowball of arms and legs. We landed in a gargantuan explosion of snow at the bottom of the mound. I lay on the snow in shock. Suddenly the boy moaned.

"Oh my gosh! I am SO sorry!" I said apologetically, as I got up, brushed myself off, and then ran over to help him up.

"S'fine." he mumbled. As he took my hand and stood. I studied him with a curious expression. Blue eyes, Light traces of freckles, blue hoody with frost patterns, brown pants, no shoes, and white hair?

At the same time he studied me. My reddish-brown hair flowing down my back in waves, rosy frostnipped cheeks also splattered with light freckles, stormy gray eyes framed by dark lashes, gray coat with a blue-gray scarf, blue skinny jeans, silver combat boots, cream-colored gloves and cream colored beret.

We both spoke at once,

"Do I know you?"

He then let out a laugh that sent chills up my spine.

"Let's just assume that neither of us know the other." He laughed again.

"Uh..." my mind had gone blank. "Um... thanks for saving me?"

"Did I?" He questioned, that mischievous laughter still in his countenance. "'Cause it sure seemed like you just fell on top of me..."

"Um... yeah..." I said awkwardly. "I... gotta go...now..." I blushed then ran off, leaving the strange boy behind.

"Hey! What's your name?!" He called after me.

I turned around, at the top of a hill, then called back.

"Renee!"

I then turned back and ran to find my friends.

* * *

**Please REVIEW. I need feedback!**

**BTW, I'm sorry to those people who have reviewed before. My computer was blitzing out and I accidentally deleted my story... and I still haven't figured out recovery... So yeah... this is like the fifth time I have posted this story... Please review!**


	3. Flashbacks

**Sorry for the wait. Wasn't able to return to the computer for a while. Hope you liked the last chapter.**

_**"Flashbacks, Friends, and Frostnip"**_

I panted hard as I finally stopped in a clearing near the pond. I stopped to catch my breath, leaning over with my hands on my knees.

"Well, _you_ stink at hiding."

I looked up to see Teryck walking towards me shaking his dark brown hair out of his eyes.

"Ha!" I laughed sarcastically, "_You_ don't know what I just went through!"

"What? You fell out of a tree?" He said jokingly.

I just shook my head and looked down. He had no clue.

"Can you tell the others that I'm going home? I'm just kind of tired."

"Sure." He shrugged. "Don't forget your backpack." He jogged off to find the others.

"I won't!" I called after him.

I walked to the pond, deep in thought the whole way. Who _was that boy? And_ why _did he seem so familiar?_ I sighed, grabbing my bag off of the branch I had left it on earlier._ I might never know the answers to those questions_, I thought._ Gosh, I might never see _him _again._

With my mind swirling with questions, I walked the block and a half from the pond, to my home.

* * *

I walked inside to find my mum at the table with my youngest brother, James, helping him with his homework. He was nine years old and not the nicest kid on the block, even though he could be really sweet when he wanted to be. But he had A LOT of friends and was pretty cool. He was pretty cute for his age too, with his dirty-blonde hair with natural blonde highlights, chocolate brown eyes, and freckles splattered across his nose. I always told him that all the girls in his class had a crush on him, but he hated when I did and would kick me in the shins and run away.

I said hello, then dashed upstairs to my room. I had A LOT of homework to catch up on and I didn't want to leave it to the last minute to finish. So I dumped the contents of my backpack onto my desk and started working.

What seemed like a couple minutes later, my ten year old sister, Salem, barged into my room, laughing like a maniac, and started jumping on my bed. I rolled my eyes in amusement and got up to deal with her.

"Hey, Salem!" I pleaded her attention enthusiastically, "If you leave me alone until suppertime, I'll give you my dessert!"

She was out the door in a flash. I sighed. Tonight was English Trifle night. My favorite, since just a couple months ago, my family and I were living in London (Where my mother had learned how to make a "Proper" English Trifle). But after gaining _years_ of experience, I knew that dessert was the way to both a kid's head _and_ heart.

But, even with _decades_ of experience, it was sometimes really hard to deal with Salem. Even though her name meant Peace, she was one cuckoo-of-a-nutcracker… like the rest of my family (She was just especially crazy). She and my twelve year old brother, Anthony, were adopted from Ethiopia to my parents, who lived in London.

I had actually met most of my friends in London. Madi had been my next door neighbor, and Rachel had lived across the street. But I only knew Rachel for eight months before she died in a car crash shortly after her fourteenth birthday. Madi and I had a quick time recovering, only because we knew something that no one else did. Rachel had become a spirit. Her name was now Zaria Stellarus, the wishing star. But only Madi and I knew she existed (Until we told Malynne, but that's a different story).

But how both me and Madi ended up in Burgess is a short but sweet story. Basically, my parents had told me that the family was moving to the U.S. the next day. I was heartbroken that I was leaving Madi, and that I wouldn't even get to say goodbye. I had already lost my two best friends. But when we got there, lo and behold, Madi's family moved into the house across the street, only a week later. Apparently, Madi's parents had been consulting with mine for a very long time and they had made a plan to move to the U.S. together. The only reason Madi's family didn't come along until a week is because of extended family complications (mainly a death and two births).

We met Malynne and Teryck there (they weren't together yet) and we became a trio + Teryck. Whatever you would call that… a quadro? Sadly we could only get Malynne to see Zaria, Teryck just couldn't.

I snapped out of my backflash-like daydream to hear my sister Elizabeth calling me down for supper. I sighed and went to join my family.

* * *

After supper I came back upstairs to continue working on my homework. After finishing an essay for English I heard a tapping on my window. I looked up to see Zaria on my porch roof. I opened the window.

"Hey Renee." Zaria said happily as she climbed in.

"Hey Zari!"

We hugged, happy to see each other.

"Holy chicken nuggets, It's been a while!" She spoke enthusiastically.

"No kidding. How are you? Where are you staying? Is it with Sandy? Do you ever wear _anything_ other than that dress?"

"Whoa! Whoa! One question at a time!" Zaria giggled.

I smiled mischievously and then said, "Okay, answer each question in order."

She took in a large breath and then let it out as an amused sigh. "Alright, I am doing great, I'm staying with Sandy on his Dream island and have become quite good friends with the mermaids, and I do have other things to wear, but I just haven't gotten around to changing… Why do you ask? Does it look bad?" she brushed her Ebony-colored hair out of her hazel eyes and behind her purple-framed glasses.

"No! Of course not! It's just kind of boring seeing you visit day after day, always wearing the same thing." I said quickly. "I mean, when you were… alive, you would always come to school and stuff with a different _gorgeous_ outfit everyday, I don't think that I saw you wear something twice!"

Zaria laughed.

"Thanks." she then said kindly. "So... how's life for you?"

"Fantastic but crazy and confusing."

"As life is..."

"Yeah..." I sighed.

"Wait a minute." Zaria said suspiciously. "You met someone, didn't you?"

I blushed.

"Yeah, you definitely met someone!" She said triumphantly. "C'mon, go ahead and tell me!"

"Well..." I hesitated, but then decided that I might as well. "I didn't catch his name, but he kind of saved me from going to the hospital, on account of me falling out of a tree..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you mean you actually fell out of a tree? That is _way_ not like you!"

I smiled, embarrassed.

"What did he look like?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, he had on a blue hoodie, brown pants, and no shoes. And... he had blue eyes and white hair."

Zaria froze. "Blue hoodie? White hair?" She seemed anxious and slightly unsettled, but with a slight hint of amusement.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, worried. "Do you know him?"

"No!" she said hurriedly. "I've never met anyone like that."

"Okay..." I spoke warily. I knew that she was hiding something from me.

I glanced over at my digital alarm clock and was surprised to find it was 1:15 in the morning. I looked back at Zaria and she got the memo. We said our good-byes and she left, closing the window behind her. I watched as she ran to the edge of the porch roof and then lept off, her wishing amulet lifting her into the sky, much like an Eastern Dragon's magic pearl.

That amulet became her bond object when she died. Every spirit has a bond object. For Sandy it was the tie thingy that he wore under his sand suit, for North it was his swords (Yes, I knew about North, but I had never met him. Same with Sandy, knew about but never met). Her amulet allowed her to fly up into the night skies. It would then light up causing her to be the first star to appear, making her the wishing star. If a child wished on her, she could usually make the wish happen, but could only do small wishes. But most children missed her anyway.

I slipped into my pajamas, dove under my covers, and then turned off my bedside lamp. As I settled under the covers I listened to the subtle sounds of the night and thought. _Why did Zari seem so anxious when I described the boy? She probably knew him, but why anxiety? _I thought on until sleep drifted upon me.

A golden tendril of sand drifted in through a crack in my window and swirled over my head, forming into intricate designs and pictures.

From the crack under my door, a black trailing Nightmare snuck in and circled the ceiling, waiting for a moment to strike. It dove in to take over the dream. Suddenly it shrieked and recoiled. The dream had exploded in its face, morphing into a beautiful silver sand fox with large feathery wings. It attacked back ferociously, snapping at the Nightmare's hooves. The Nightmare fled, returning to it's master, hoping it would not be punished.

The fox shimmered and then morphed again, returning to the golden dreams. I slept on.

* * *

**Keep looking for the next chapter. I already have chapters 1-6 written out and I hope to post them regularly... but you never know... I might not be able to get to the computer for a while. **


	4. Babysitting Yellow-not-Blues

**Forgive me, but the story starts kind of slow... But just you wait! There will be nail-biting-edge-of-your-seat-can't-put-the-book-down scenes later! Oh, and for upcoming chapters, I'm going to need inspirations... Lots of space to fill... Please review or PM me! Thanks and enjoy.**

**"The Babysitting Yellow-not-blues"**

Sunlight filtered through my curtains, waking me by the pleasant glow. Someone (probably my mom) had come in during the night and closed them. I yawned as I sat up, rubbing my eyes and smoothing back the mop that was my hair. I looked over at my clock. 8:30. I slipped out of bed and walked over to my closet, opening the door and glancing at my reflection in the mirror. Man, I had a bed-head.

I dressed in my usual Saturday outfit which consisted of a white v-neck t-shirt, a light gray and white plaid vans jacket, blue skinny jeans, and my white, blue, and green tennis shoes. I then grabbed a brush off of my desk and pulled my hair into a side-braid, while I walked out of my door and down the hall to the bedroom that all three of my sisters slept in. I gently tapped on the door and then slipped inside, putting my brush in my jacket-pocket.

"Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey." I said softly but cheerfully. No response from the lumps under the covers.

I tried again.

"I think I smell crepes downstai-" I couldn't even finish my sentence before Elizabeth, Li Fan, and Salem had all jumped out of their beds and past me to the stairs. I smiled and rolled my eyes, then followed them, sliding on the banister the whole way down.

I entered the kitchen to find that my dad was indeed making crepes. I smiled again. Crepes had always been my favorite breakfast item. Unless you count ice-cream as breakfast. Ice-cream was my all-time favorite food... if you could call it food. I sat down with all my siblings (my brothers had come up from their room in the basement) and grabbed the crepe from the top of the growing pile. I piled it high with strawberries, bananas and whipped cream and then dug in with my fork. I was halfway through when my dad spoke up.

"Hey, Renee," He said from at the stove, "Do you mind taking out the trash real quick? Oh and the Peter's called."

"Okay." I stood up and grabbed the trash-bag from the basket and then headed out the door to put it in the bin. I breathed in the cool morning air. It was pretty chilly and the sun was just barely over the mountains. The sunshine cut sharply through the cold air and warmed my face. I sighed. I walked over to the large, gray garbage bin, dragging the heavy bag behind me and lifted the frost-covered lid. I strained to lift the heavy bag and was about to toss it inside, when I heard a voice behind me.

"Need some help?"

I jumped in surprise, dropped the bag and turned around to see the same boy from yesterday. He was leaning on what looked like an ice-covered shepherd's crook.

"Gosh! Stop startling me like that! The last time you did, I nearly got sent to the hospital!"

He blushed, "Sorry." He moved to help me, Setting his staff on the pavement. We lifted the bag into bin and shut the lid. He rubbed his hands and then picked up his staff.

"Who are you? And why were you spying on me yesterday?"

He laughed the same chill-invoking laugh that he had yesterday and then spoke.

"I had just happened to be passing by and heard a fantastically melodious voice emanating from the tree. At first I thought it was the dryad that lived there, but then realized it was coming from someone in the tree, not the tree itself."

I looked at him with confusion and a little embarrassment. I didn't know my voice was... melodious.

He fell silent for a moment, then extended his hand with enthusiasm.

"The name's Jack. Jack Frost."

I eyed him warily and then shook his hand, my sleeve slipping in between our hands .

"Jack Frost, eh? If you're Jack Frost, then I'm the Tooth Fairy!" I joked.

He shook his head.

"Trust me, you are not the Tooth Fairy!" He laughed.

It suddenly hit me. Zaria had told me about all of the Guardians, but she had lacked specifics on the new guy, Jack Frost. That's why she had acted so anxious when I mentioned that I'd met someone like him. I laughed on the inside. What she had thought when I described him... Probably, "Oh dear, she's met Jack! I wonder how this is going to turn out."

"Hello?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to find Jack waving his hand in front of my eyes, probably trying to snap me out of it. I blushed.

"Sorry, I zone out like that sometimes."

He smiled, "Don't we all?"

I laughed, "No. No we don't."

"Renee?" I looked to see my dad at the front door.

"Coming!" I glanced back at Jack. See you later, I mouthed. Then I ran off to see what my dad wanted to tell me.

* * *

"So, two hours at the Peters, and then three at the new?" I clarified as I dug into my crepe once again.

"Exactly." My mum said. She had come downstairs while I was outside. My dad had told me about a call for a babysitting offer. I had made quite a bit of money and friendships by taking the babysitting offers that frequently came up in the young neighborhood that I lived in. I had a regular offer by a family just down the street, the Peters. But today, not only had I got the regulars, but also a new family had made an offer.

I crammed in the last bite of crepe and chewed vigorously. I swallowed then spoke.

"Sometimes I wonder why they always call you instead of my cell." I said to my parents.

"Actually," My mother spoke up, "The Peter's called your cellphone, and the other lady called ours."

I nodded then headed to my room to grab my babysitting bag and my phone. I came back down to see that my dad had disappeared into his office to work (he worked from home as a graphic designer). My mother had cleared the table and sent my siblings outside to play. I hugged her then skipped out the door. I breathed in the crisp morning air again and then started walking.

My friends always wondered why I didn't use the crimson red scooter that I had gotten for my 12th birthday. I too, sometimes wondered, but I always came to the same conclusion. First of all, I liked walking. Second of all, walking is so much healthier that sitting my tush down on a cushy seat and exercising my wrists on the handlebars. Third of all, for some reason, the colour always gave me a slightly uneasy feeling. I tried painting it silver once, but that ended in a disaster and a ruined outfit. And so, it collected dust and cobwebs in the corner of my garage, until occasionally one of my siblings steals it to ride off somewhere with their friends (usually to the rec-center).

"Hi Renee!"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Pippa waving from her yard. I smiled and waved back.

"How's it going?" I called to her.

"Great!" she beamed.

I smiled to myself and continued walking. Only seconds later I was again calling out a greeting to Caleb and Claude._ It's funny that I know almost every kid on this block…_ I thought to myself. _Gosh, Renee, when are you ever going to be normal?_ My familiarity with the children in the neighborhood probably had to do with the fact that I worked as a tutor after school hours and as an aid at the local Daycare during the summer. I continued on down the sidewalk, saying hello to a parent or kid every so often.

I finally arrived at my destination. The Peters were a regular client of mine. They often ran on errands leaving their kids in my care. I walked up to the door and knocked softly. I heard some excited squeals inside and several large thumps as the kids rushed to open the door first. The door opened and I saw little Mavis stick her face out.

"RENEE!" She exclaimed and in no time I was in her aconda-like grip as she hugged my legs. The other kids came out and surrounded me in a group hug.

"Hey Mavis!" I said happily. "Are you gonna let me in or wait for your mom?"

"I will! I will!" She said. She let go of my legs and took my hand, gently leading me inside.

"Good morning, Mrs. Peters!" I said cheerfully.

"Hello Renee." She said with a smile. "We're just heading over to a business luncheon." She grabbed her purse and continued. "Ralph and I won't be away for too long, so you can just hang out with the kids. The only thing they really need is a snack in an hour. The house key is on the ring in the kitchen."

"Okay." I shrugged, then turned to the kids. "Betcha can't beat me to the playhouse!"

Another mad rush commenced as the children scrambled over each other, out the back door, to get to the playhouse first. I waved as Mr. and Mrs. Peters locked the front door behind them on their way out.

I stepped outside, glancing around to see if anything was wrong. The kids were running around, climbing on the playhouse, and occasionally doing the monkeybars. I shrugged, then started down the patio steps towards the playhouse.

"Nay-nay! Come!" I turned to see little three-year-old Lyle beckoning to me. He was crouching over something on the pavement by a flowerpot. I walked over and crouched next to him.

"What is it, Lyle?" I asked.

"Look!" He had a stick in his hand that he used to point at something on the ground. It was a snail.

"See Nay-nay? See the squishy?" He had an adorable excitement in his eyes.

"Yes. I see it. Hey Lyle…"

"Ya?"

"Do you know what this is?"

He nodded happily.

"What is it?"

He folded his arms over his chest in a way that said 'silly you, how can you not know?', "It's a Squishy!"

I nodded, "Did you know that there is another name for it?"

He frowned, looking slightly confused. "There is?"

I nodded, "There is… do you want to know that name?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"It's called a Snail."

His eyes went wide with joy, "I don't have to call it Squishy anymore! It's a smail!"

I giggled as he ran off to go tell his older brother, Tyler (who was nine and convinced he could do everything by himself without adult supervision.)

The rest of the hours passed by pretty quickly as the children played. Every once and a while I would have to break up one of those inevitable quarrels, and I had to clean up a mess that two-year-old Lucy had made of her snack, but everything went smoothly.

The time finally came for me to leave.

"Awww. Do you have to go now?" Mavis whined.

"Sorry girlie," I explained as I gathered my stuff, "I have to go babysit another family."

Her face saddened further and her bottom lip puffed out.

"Hey. Tell you what," I kneeled down and put my hands on her shoulders, "The next time that I come, I'll bring you some cookies."

She looked up, a little happier. "Okay. Come back soon."

I smiled, "Of course." I swung my bag over my shoulder and headed to the door.

"Renee, wait."

I turned to see Mr. Peters with his wallet in hand.

I laughed, "I almost forgot about that."

He found a twenty-dollar bill and then handed it to me.

"Thanks" I said, then walked out, heading for my next appointment.


	5. You Know Him?

"**You know him?"**

I regretted leaving the kids, but I had another appointment to get to and their parents were home. I stopped on a street corner and looked at the address that my mum had written down for me. I blinked in surprise. It was a house on the road near the pond. I smiled and then turned around and headed to the house.

As I walked onto the street I glanced at the pond through the slats of a fence. I smiled to see that the frozen water and the foliage surrounding it were covered in a fresh layer of snow and frost. I turned and walked up to the light oak door, glancing at the house. It was smaller than mine, but had the same general design with two floors and the windows above the porch roof. I rang the doorbell then waited. After a couple of minutes the door opened slightly and a little blonde girl with green eyes poked her face through.

I smiled and then spoke, "Hello, is one of your parents here?"

She nodded, "Wait here."

I waited for a few more minutes before a woman came to the door.

"Hello!" she said cheerily, "You must be Renee."

I nodded, "And you are…?"

"Tiffany Bennett. Here, come in, I'll explain the details inside." She gestured for me to step inside.

The little girl was on her way back up the stairs when Mrs. Bennett called her to the living room.

"Come here, Sophie. You need to meet your new babysitter."

"Awww…" she whined, "But me and Jamie were in the middle of something!"

Mrs. Bennett looked sternly at Sophie and said, "Come on, you need to get to know her. And please call Jamie down. You _both_ need to meet her."

Sophie sighed and started coming back down.

"Hey Jamie, Come 'ere!" she called up the stairs.

I watched as an older brown haired boy came bounding down the stairs to join his sister. He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw me._ I wonder why_. I thought. He stared until his mum snapped him out of it by calling him to the couch.

"Jamie, Sophie, come sit down." She gestured for me to sit as well.

I smiled at the kids, trying to be friendly, as they reluctantly sat down across from me.

"Just say your name, age, and something about you." Mrs. Bennett looked at Jamie, "You first."

He sighed then spoke, "My name is Jamie. I am eleven years old and I love to sled." He looked at his mum then sighed again and elbowed his sister.

She glared at him then spoke proudly. "My name is Sophie. I am five years old and…" She paused, contemplating what to say, "...and I'm best friends with the Easter Bunny."

I blinked in surprise, wondering if it was her imagination or if she really knew Aster. Her mother smiled in a way that said _Oh-how-cute-her-imagination-is-running-wild-again_.

I rolled my eyes and winked at Sophie as if to say _Non-believers,-they-don't-have-a-clue_. She smiled.

Mrs. Bennett looked at me expectantly. I turned to the children and introduced myself.

"My name is Renee Aavis. I am fourteen years old and I like to draw, read, write, and sing."

Brother and sister both smiled. They were warming up to me, it seemed.

"Alright!" Mrs. Bennett spoke up, "You two run along while I talk to Renee."

They were gone before she could even say my name. She shook her head and smiled.

"Some days I just don't know what to do with them."

I laughed, "So how long did you say you were going to be gone? I think it was… three hours?"

"Oh, I'll just be running some errands so I doubt it will take that long." She reassured me. "I just said that to be safe."

I nodded. It sounded good to me.

"Oh and one more thing," She leaned in, "The kids have this thing, a little ''_test_'', that they do to see if each babysitter is _worthy_." She laughed, "Apparently the last few babysitters haven't ''_passed''_', so the kids beg me to choose someone different each time."

I must have frowned because she laughed and spoke again.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine! _I_ passed… I think."

I smiled, "Thanks for telling me…"

"Well, I'll be on my way!" She said as she grabbed her purse and headed out the garage door, "Oh, and will you feed them at 12:30? There are leftovers in the refrigerator. Thanks a ton!"

I watched out the window as Mrs. Bennett drove away. I breathed deeply, setting my bag on the leather couch. The house smelled like citrus. I started up the stairs, my hand running along the polished oak banister. Looking around, I tried to figure out which room the kids were in. _Maybe __**this **__is the test._ I thought.

I chose a door and knocked. Inside I heard a few scuffling noises, some hushed voices, and what sounded like a closet door being closed. The door cracked open and I say Jamie's big brown eyes staring at me.

"Can I come in?" I asked politely.

He eyed me suspiciously and then opened the door all the way. I walked in, surveying the room. It looked like it could be Jamie's because of the dark blue color scheme and the space figurines on a shelf.

I looked back at Jamie and Sophie. Sophie was sitting on the bed and Jamie was standing in front of the closet with his arms folded and foot tapping. They both had suspecting glares.

"We want to show you something." Jamie said, still glaring at me. "If you pass the test, you can stay. If not, your first babysitting job here, will be your last."

I shrugged, "Okay, bring it on."

The siblings glanced at each other. Sophie nodded. Despite my calm outer appearance, I felt like I was being brought to the guillotine. These kids sure could intimidate. Jamie turned around and opened the closet doors. I braced myself for something horrible, like a dead skunk, but what I got was even stranger.

"Jack?"

He grinned sheepishly. I put my hand over my eyes and shook my head in pure embarrassment. He was sitting in the dirty clothes basket with his legs hanging awkwardly over the edges and a sock on his head.

I looked at Jamie and Sophie. Their eyes were wide and so were their smiles.

"You passed!" Sophie squealed with delight. They both ran up to me and hugged me. I was surprised. The test was if I could see Jack?

I heard a large thunk and I turned to see Jack clumsily climbing out of the bin. *face palm*.

I looked at my phone. It was a bit past 12:30.

"Alright you little troublemakers, it's time for your lunch!"

The kids were out the door in a flash. I paused, then I turned to Jack, my hands on my hips.

"Do you have a habit of following girls around?"

He shook a shirt off of his foot. "Only after they've fallen out of trees onto me."

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. I stopped.

"I suppose you want some lunch too?"

He grinned, "You know me too well, already."

I stood there for a couple of seconds then out of the blue I yelled, "Race ya!"

I dashed out the door and leapt down the stairs, Jack tumbling after me. I arrived in the kitchen.

"Ha! First!" I gloated.

"Nuh-uh!"

"First and you know it!"

"That's not fair! You had a head start!"

Jamie and Sophie watched our bickering as they gobbled Mac & Cheese out of some plastic tupperware.

"Yep," Jamie, whispered to his sister, "This is gonna get interesting…


	6. Reflections

**So... Now that I'm back in school, and I have all my chores and homework and my job, there's not going to be a lot of frequent updating. I will try to, but there's no promises. Oh and, Guys, PLEASE REVIEW... PLEASE PLEASE. Pretty please with whipped cream, nuts, and 3 cherries on the top. Review!**

* * *

**"Reflections"**

After finishing my small bowl of spaghetti (the only thing left after the kids ate all the Mac and Cheese) I started sucking on my spoon and watching the others eat.

We were all sitting at the dining room table, picking the last bites out of our containers. I stood up and gathered some of the empty dishes from the table, placing them in the sink.

"Are y'all done yet?" I asked over my shoulder.

"Yep." Sophie said.

"Okay, come and put your bowl in the sink."

"One sec!" Jamie shoveled his last bites into his mouth and chewed vigorously.

Jack was leaning back on his chair with his feet on the table, munching on an apple. I rolled my eyes and started over to him. I walked behind him and plucked the apple out of his hand, right as he was about to take another bite.

"Heyyyyy..." He exclaimed, "I'm not done yet!"

I smirked.

He pouted.

"_You're_ a spirit. _You_ don't need as much food as us _mortals._"

He raised an eyebrow.

I opened the back door, still smirking, and called the dog over.

"Abby! Here girl! Look what I've got!"

Jack saw what I was about to do and his expression changed from grumpy to pleading and slightly panicked.

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" He jumped over to try and stop me.

I tossed the half-eaten apple to the dog. She gulped it down in one bite then licked her lips. Jack's shoulders sagged in grumpy defeat. I heard giggling from the children.

"Next time, don't put your feet on the table." I whispered to him. I grinned at him. After a couple of seconds he burst out laughing.

I shook my head, "You just can't stay grumpy for more than thirty seconds, can you?"

He shrugged, "I'm a happy guy."

I rolled my eyes and cleaned up the rest of the table, wiping it down with a rag.

The kids and Jack headed back up to Jamie's room to do whatever they were doing before I came. I continued cleaning the house.

After making everything spick and span, I walked silently up the stairs, intent on surprising the kids. I slid stealthily over to the door, put my hand on the doorknob, and was about to open it, when I heard a snatch of their conversation with Jack.

"But that's impossible…" a voice like Jamie's said quietly.

"I don't know…" Jack's voice spoke, "She is almost identical. Plus you're forgetting the fact that nothing is really impossible in the world of the spirits."

"But she's human." Sophie's voice piped in, still in the hushed tone. "She's not like any spirit's that we've met. And she has a family."

There was a silence.

"I must be homesick… " Jack said softly.

I was surprised to hear sadness in his voice.

"There's no way that Renee could be my Amelia…"

I stood there in shock. Thought's circled my head at a rapid pace. Jack had someone in his old life… and her name was Amelia. But that couldn't be… My middle name was Amelia…

I took a deep breath and was about to open the door again, when I heard the garage door opening downstairs.

* * *

I slipped back downstairs as quickly as I could while still being silent. Upstairs I heard the door open and the children come back downstairs. I glanced at them questioningly as I gathered my things.

"Jack left through the window." Sophie explained.

I nodded. Just then, Mrs. Bennett walked in.

"You kids have a good time?" She said cheerily.

They nodded happily, but I could tell their prior conversation with Jack was still nagging on them.

Mrs. Bennett turned to me and reached into her purse for her checkbook. She wrote one up and handed it to me.

"You want a ride?" She asked.

I glanced out the window and was Jack waiting for me.

"Nah. I only live a couple blocks from here." I said kindly.

"Well, have a nice day. Thanks for watching the kids." She spoke as she opened the door and I stepped out.

I skipped down to the sidewalk to join Jack. He smiled at me. Suddenly I felt a wave of chills course through me. Jack noticed me shiver and stepped away a little, frowning.

"Sorry, was that me?" he worried.

"No! No! I'm fine." I laughed.

We walked for a while in silence, Jack twirling his staff.

"Sooo…" He began, "... Tell me about yourself… I'd really like to get to know you more…"

I was a little surprised by the direct approach, but then his and the kids' conversation flashed through my mind again. _He wants to see if I'm like his friend_.

"Well…" I started as we crossed a street, "I'm the oldest of six kids, all of us adopted…"

He whistled in disbelief, "Six?_ All_ adopted?"

"Yup." I smiled, "Anthony, age twelve, is from Ethiopia. LiFan, who is eleven, is from China. Elizabeth is also eleven and is from Australia. Salem is Anthony's biological sister and is ten years old. And… James is nine and from Ireland."

I smiled at Jack's widening eyes.

"And you're from…?"

"Silver Lake, Colorado."

He nodded.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Me?" he laughed. "Me… Well, I was the only boy in a group of four… two sisters older than me, and one younger."

He glanced at me.

"Continue…" I egged him on.

His expression dimmed quite a bit and I sensed he was sad.

"Both of my older sisters died when I was twelve… The elder of frostbite and the other got buried in an avalanche... Emma, my younger sister, was only three…"

I was shocked.

"Oh my goodness… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's fine." he said and then continued, looking at the pavement as he walked, "Emma was only eight when I became a spirit."

I was torn. I didn't know anyone could have such a sad past.

"Your poor sister… first your older sisters, then you… all in five years- Oh, gosh! I'm making things worse aren't I?"

I had just barely noticed Jack had grimaced with every word in my sentence.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry…" I fell silent just as we reached my house.

We stood there for a moment. Jack suddenly lightened up.

"Maybe we could hang out some time soon?" he said hopefully.

I grinned mischieviously, "You know me too well, already..."


	7. Night Terrors

"**Night Terrors"**

I awoke to screaming. I sat up straight in bed, trying to figure out what was happening. I scrambled out of my covers and jumped to the door. My bare feet slapped against our polished wood floor as I ran to the boys' room.

"Not again!" I whispered under my breath.

I flung open their door and rushed to James. He was screaming, crying, pointing all around the room, and scrambling on top of his pillows. Evil laughter filled the room as shadowy figures flitted around, every once and a while threatening to touch my brother. I growled, spun on the spot, and punched one in the face. It squealed and fled, the others backing off a little.

"Scat!" I barked quietly but threateningly. The rest of the figures seeped into the walls and disappeared.

I turned to James, who was sitting up in bed, sobbing, with blanket up to his chin. I walked over to his bed and sat next to him, holding him close and shushing his whimpering.

Suddenly my parents ran in through the open door, their eyes wide.

"What happened?!" My father exclaimed.

"Shhhh…" I put my finger to my lips. My face darkened and I spoke in a low almost-growl, "Night Terrors…"

My parents sighed.

"Again?" My mum said quietly.

I nodded.

She walked swiftly over and hugged James, who still had tears streaming down his face. I stood up and brushed a bit of black sand off of my fist.

The bed next to James's rustled and Anthony's bleary-eyed face peeked out of the covers.

"Wa's goin' on…?" he spoke with slurred words.

"You seriously slept through that?" I questioned in disbelief.

"Through what?" He looked _very_ confused.

I rolled my eyes.

My father had gone downstairs to fetch some warm tea for James, and my mum was still hugging my terrified brother, rocking him back and forth.

"Shhh…" My mother reassured him, "It was just a nightmare."

_Or twelve_… I thought These nighttime raids of the Nightmares, or Night Terrors as other people call them, were getting quite frequent.

_C'mon Zaria, you said you'd talk to Sandy about it…_

I glanced again at my brother.

_I'll need help soon… _

* * *

Wind rustled the tree outside of the window. A figure was crouched on a branch, peering inside at the commotion. It chuckled in a raspy bird-like tone. Karothkar shifted his weight. He was listening to the thoughts of the people inside.

"Oh, you sweet thing. You don't have to worry much longer." He cawed maliciously. Evil mirth glinted in his black eyes. "Oh yes…. not long at all. Soon… _very_ soon, you won't have to worry about _any_ of the Guardians…"

With that, he stretched out his wings, chuckling evilly, and flew off into the receding night.

* * *

I snapped awake for the umpteenth time that morning.

After James's little episode last night, I had gone back to bed only to have several nightmares myself. But after a couple, I just lay there awake.

Around 2:30 I had given up on sleep and had gotten up. I had climbed out of my window, across the porch roof and into the tree right next to the roof. I sat in the uppermost branches, feeling the frigid predawn air and nodding off every few minutes.

I rubbed my forehead where I had bumped it against a branch (the thing that had woken me up that time). I blinked and licked my lips wearily.

Suddenly a flash of blue sped past me, along with a sharp wind. Jack skidded to a halt and backed up, doing a classic double take. He landed on the porch roof and walked up curiously.

"Whaaaaat?..." He was at a loss for words. He flew up into the tree and sat down on a branch next to me.

I glanced at Jack bleary-eyed.

"Whoaaahhh. Looks like someone had a rough night."

My head was nodding forward again so he put his hand on my forehead and pushed it up again.

"Uuuughhh…" I moaned.

He dropped his hand and I let my face fall onto the branch in front of me.

Jack chuckled. "What are you doing?"

"Putting my face on a branch. " I mumbled.

"No… I mean what are you doing out here at 4:00 in the morning, in your pajamas, in a tree?" he grinned.

I snapped my head up. I had dozed off again. I shook my head and slapped my cheeks.

"Sorry." I said to him, cheeks red from the friction, "I was having nightmares, so I came out here to think."

He raised an eyebrow. "Nightmares?" He paused, "... You know… I could talk to someone for you who could fix that…"

I smiled, still bleary-eyed, "You mean Sandy?"

Jack stared in surprise. "Wait. You know him?"

"Well… It's kind of a parasocial friendship." I explained, "I'm besties with someone who knows him quite well… I've never actually met him… Although I really want to."

Jack nodded, accepting the fact easily, "Hmm. You learn something new every day." He then looked around and up at the sky, "Ooooorr every night."

I giggled.

He laughed at my giggle.

"Sorry." My cheeks were burning, "I only do that when I'm _really_ tired."

He nodded, still grinning, "Makes sense."

I put my hand on my cheek and leaned on the branch in front of me, glancing out at the coming dawn.

We sat in silence for a while, watching bright pink, orange, and yellow hues thread their way slowly across the lightening sky.

"...Beautiful, isn't it…?" Jack said quietly, yet suddenly.

I smiled. "Yeah… I guess it is…"

The sun came up over the ridge, bathing us in a rosy glow. Jack stood up on his branch. He nudged me with his toe and I looked up at him.

"You should probably catch a couple more hours of sleep… Meanwhile, I'm due for a blizzard in Norway."

I sighed in submission and started to climb down.

"Cheerio." I called.

"Cheerio." He smiled. Then he jumped off and the wind carried him away.

I rubbed my forehead and walked back across the porch to my window, making footprints in the fresh frost.

* * *

**Hey readers! I need some help. I have some major plot points, but also a lot of space to fill before I get to those points. Most of you people are fan girls, and fan girls always think of something. Please pm or review. Thanks!**

**KaylaSong- Child! I have known you for 746 years and I KNOW you are a talented person! GET SOME STUFF POSTED! I know you've already written, like, ten of your DoctorWho books. POST THEM! Love your guts with both my hearts and all twenty-eight of my brains.**

**TheGirlWhoBelieved3- I LOVE YOU... but you seriously need to post some stuff! Keep writing! You'll think of something amazing soon!**

* * *

**Also, Just a minor announcement, but I am working on a website that has my story posted on it. BUT it also has my drawings to go with it. A lot of the things I describe are kind of hard to imagine, so I usually just draw them. But unfortunately this website doesn't allow you to put pictures into the chapters so...Yeah. I'll let you guys know when it's ready.**


	8. Author's Note

**Hey Peeps. Sorry about the delay, but things have been really busy lately and I'm having a bit of trouble with this next chapter. However, I will try and finish it soon. Then you guys will be in for a real treat. Trust me guys, this next one's a game-changer.**

**MegaFrost4: Thank you for being the ONLY FREAKIN PERSON who has actually reviewed so far.**

**Seriously guys. I need a pep-talk. Reviews are to Farglewiggins as Cookies are to North... As Carrots are to Bunny... As Eggnog is to Sandy...As- I have no clue what the others' favorite foods are... For Toothy it's probably Bananas. I'm serious. In the books she lives off of fruit for most of her life, AND bananas actually have teeth-whitening properties. Who's not gonna like that? And Jack?... Ice-cream? Who knows.**

**But to the point. Reviews are my FUEL. If you want to keep this creative engine going, you have to give it FUEL...**

**Jack: But I thought you were a magical creative engine. Don't magical creative engines not need fuel?**

**Me: Uh. You do realize that reviews ARE magical. A magical creative engine needs magical fuel. Like North's sleigh runs on belief.**

**Jack: Ooooohhhh... Don't _you _run on belief?**

**Me: No. I'm a WRITER. Writers run on reviews... jeez, what century were _you_ born in?... *facepalm*... never mind *mumbles*...**

**See you hopefully soon...**

**- Farglewiggins**


	9. Dreams

"**Dreams"**

_It was raining. Hard. It beat down heavily upon our wooden roof. Lightning lit up the dark clouds above us._

"_Amelia! Get away from that window!"_

_I sighed, "But mum, it's so beautiful…"_

_My mother walked stiffly over and pulled me away. "I don't care if it's beautiful! I don't want you to getting seen, staring out at it like it's the Queen herself! And you're slouching. Be a proper lady!_

"_But mum."_

"_No buts! You sit straight."_

"_Mum!"_

"_Proper ladies don't talk back! Now go to your room!"_

_I frowned and ran up the stairs to my small bedroom. _

_I was actually quite lucky to get a room of my own, let alone on the second floor. Most buildings in our tiny settlement didn't have a second floor. My family was blessed with prosperity, along with the fact that I was an only child. My father was a merchant with good connections. He was friends (more like good acquaintances) with Thaddeus Burgess himself. He was always going on about how important his job was and how he wished he had a boy to pass his legacy on to. Instead he got me. And the doctor said that it would be extremely dangerous for mum to have more children. And so I remained the only Gale child. Yup, Amelia Gale. The little _lady _of the family._

_At home and in public I was the perfect little _lady _that everyone expected me to be… Not so when I snuck away._

_I quietly changed from my dress into a cotton shirt and trousers, placing a shepherds hat over my reddish brown bun. Leaving my feet bare, I silently climbed out of my small window and into the large apple tree next to the roof._

_I climbed nimbly down, pausing momentarily at the base of the tree to place a little of untouched dirt on my face, to make sure I wasn't recognized. My disguise was complete. I was no longer Amelia Gale. I was now, for the moment, Milo. The lil' tramp that lived in the woods._

_I scampered off through the town to the woods. I was gonna play with my friends._

* * *

_My bare feet splashed through the muddy puddles that covered the forest path. The rain continued to fall in considerable amounts. Laughing and skipping, I landed in each little body of water, trying to make the biggest splashes._

"_Having fun…?"_

_I turned to find my best friend a little ways ahead of me. He smirked and brushed his unruly russet brown hair out of his sepia coloured eyes._

"_Top of the eve'nin' to you too, Jackson!" I grinned mischieviously._

"_Looks like one little lady has snuck out again…" Jackson was one of the few people who knew my secret._

_I laughed and splashed over to join him. Lightning flashed overhead again, followed by the low rumble of faraway thunder. Jackson and I sprinted playfully along the trail, engrossed in an epic game of tag. He cartwheeled away from me lightly, my fingers almost brushing the edge of his cloak for the umpteenth time. _

_I huffed in mock disappointment, crossed my arms, and stuck out my bottom lip, intent on making a show of my non-existent frustration. Jackson laughed as he stood a mere five feet away from me. I internally grinned. He had no clue. I continued to pout, but Jackson must have noticed the mischievous glint in my stormy-gray eyes. His eyes went wide as he turned to scramble away. But he was too late. With the agility of well-trained predator, I pounced. Just as he ran to an extremely muddy section of the trail, I slammed into him, grabbing the folds of his tattered cloak. Jackson stumbled from my momentum and tried to catch himself, but the mud was too slippery. _

_We slipped and slid there in the middle of the path, arms and legs flailing crazily, trying not to fall down. All the while we were screaming with joy and terror. Finally we both lost our footing and balance and landed on our rumps in a grand explosion of mud. Jackson and I sat there in shock for a moment, the chilly mud soaking into our pants._

_Suddenly I started giggling. "Hee hee hee! I got you!" _

_He started laughing too and I continued to gloat._

"_He he he he! You never saw it comin'! I totally got you!"_

"_Suuuuuuure ya did…" He grinned. "How do you know I wasn't faking?"_

_I rolled my eyes, "Puh-leeease! There is no way you were faking that childish terror I saw on your face."_

_He threw his head back and laughed. Suddenly, Jackson grabbed my hat from the mud and stuffed it on my head, causing me to be doused in the slippery muck. I gasped and he scrambled up and away. I sat there, eyes closed, in shock for a moment, then let out an infuriated scream._

"_JACKSON WILLIAM OVERLAND! I'M GOING TO COME AFTER YOU IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNIN' AND MAKE SURE YOU NEVER BREATH AGAIN!"_

* * *

My eyes snapped open. I lay there for a moment in surprise, but then groaned and covered my eyes. The light was blinding. I felt someone jumping on the foot of my bed. Sitting up, eyes squinted and tired from sleep, I tried to figure out which sibling was waking me this time.

It was Li Fan.

"Come on, Renee! Wake up, wake up!" she squealed quickly.

"What?... Wha's going on?" I yawned.

She stopped, suddenly looking offended.

"Don't you remember?" She gasped, almost horrified.

I looked at her worriedly. "What? What did I forget?"

She put on her sassy face. "We're going to the movies, _remember_?"

It clicked, if only partially. "Ooooooohhhhh… Which movie is it?" I was still confused.

Li Fan slapped my shins beneath the quilt, causing me to wince.

"The one about the Ice Princess!" She cried almost angrily.

"Right-Correct-Ice Princess-Pleasedon'thitmeagain." I hurried the last part of the sentence, half hoping she wouldn't hear. I winced again as another fist connected with my shins. She heard alright.

"Hurry up and get ready!" She whined.

"Okay"

She sat there, arms folded and pouting.

"Come on!" She whined again.

"Umm… Li Fan?"

"Hmmmm?" she eyed me angrily.

"You're on my legs…"


End file.
